Re: Shady Austronesian Linguistics

Am 07/16 01:59  Roger Mills yscrifef:
> Depending on where the Druids came from-- Gaulish or other Celtic.  Perhaps
> Hebrew/Aramaic and Celtic could contribute to the religious vocabulary.
>
If they're described as Druids with no specified Ps and Qs perhaps their
contribution may be purely cultural: oral transmission of religious
knowledge (Torah?) only, lengthy training for *kahunas, preservation of
a bardic tradition, use of Ogham as a secret script...

>     Having toyed with this idea in the past (but nothing concrete), I'd
> envision something on the order of Brithenig (Latinate vocab., Celtic
> phonology)-- so Latinate vocab. + Melanesian/Polynesian phonology and
> structure.  It would be sad to see all those lovely Latin words reduced to
> CVCVCV...., but so be it.  Lots of little monosyllabic particles would be
> necessary to replace tenses and cases; perhaps the Greek contingent could
> contribute those.  Come to think of it, the Lat. imperfective -ba- would
> make a good past tense marker. And note the similarity between PN *aku "I"
> and ego:  eko weni pa ?a sula hei tili ano fasa "I  came to this island 3
> years ago." Lots of possibilities!
>
I guess these people would have left the Empire in the first century
before the Romans suppressed the Druids in Gaul and Britain.  Wouldn't
it be possible that they arrived on Waponi Woo before the Polynesian
migrations had begun.  Polynesian influences could have simplified the
Waponi koine similar to Pitcairnese English.


> If we're dealing with the core PN area (Fiji - Tonga- Samoa) they'd be
> pretty much on their own until the 18th Cent. CE.  Of course, if Roman
> ship-building could survive......
Has to be an active volcanic island.  Does that effect where it is?
Also not too close to the missionaries, who would have discouraged human
sacrifice - unless the natives used them as an appetiser to the volcano
gods already...

- andrew.
--
Andrew Smith, Intheologus                       hobbit@earthlight.co.nz